Dark Side
by Carrot-Bunny
Summary: The past has left a permanent mark on Draco Malfoy. But with the help of the woman he loves, he might be able to let go of his dark side. Based on Kelly Clarkson's 'Dark Side'. R/R.


_There's a place that I know  
It's not pretty there and few have ever gone  
If I show it to you now  
Will it make you run away  
_

He sat up in his bed, breathing heavily. The dream had been so vivid. His parents standing there, wearing expressions of horror on their faces, then a man's cold laugh, a flash of green light, the sound of death speeding by, and they were gone, just like that. And there was nothing he could do about it.

He knew it was just a dream, but a few years ago it could have been reality. He had tried desperately to let go of his past, but it still haunted him as much as the mark on his left forearm. He would never be able to forget it, and neither would the rest of the wizarding world. He only wished that he would not awaken his wife who was sleeping next to him, or that he would ruin her life with his dark secret. Even so, he knew it would be hard for her, loving someone who had been marked by the Dark Lord.

_Or will you stay  
Even if it hurts  
Even if I try to push you out  
Will you return?  
And remind me who I really am  
Please remind me who I really am  
_

"Draco, is everything alright?" He was a bit startled by her voice, and turned to see her sitting up awake beside him.

"Everything's fine, Tori. I'm sorry I woke you. Now go back to sleep."

She laid a hand on his shoulder. "I can hear you talking in your sleep, you know. Is it the dream again?"

He sighed. She understood him too well. "It's just a dream. Nothing more." He was about to lie down again when her arm stopped him and turned him around to face her.

"Draco, if you're still dreaming about what happened so long ago, then it's not alright. The Dark Lord is already gone. No one is holding your crimes against you. You're still here. And I'm still here."

"I just don't want to destroy your life. You know how it is living with me. You'll be seen as the wife of a former Death Eater."

She had the old haughty Greengrass look on her face, something she inherited from her mother. "Let them say what they want. I already made my promise to you at the altar, and I'm not about to change that. I'll be beside you, no matter what."

He finally smiled for the first time that night, and she smiled back. "That's better. Now let's all go back to sleep." And they lay down again, falling into a blissful dreamless sleep.

_Like a diamond from black dust  
It's hard to know what can become  
A few give up  
_

He stood in front of the mirror, letting her help put his clothes on. As she pulled his sleeve across his left arm, her fingers hovered over a certain spot. He winced at the sight of the faint mark's reflection in the mirror, like a vivid red tattoo. There was no known way to remove that mark from his arm, so he was doomed to wear it for life, as a sign of his past mistakes. It certainly wasn't something he cherished, and he wished that no one else would ever see that mark.

_So don't give up on me  
Please remind me who I really am  
_

She quickly pulled his sleeve over the mark and covered the rest of his arm. As he turned around, she embraced him with her arms. "It's alright. Just let it go," she whispered softly into his ear. He nodded, holding her hands tightly in his.

_Everybody's got a dark side  
Do you love me?  
Can you love mine?  
Nobody's a picture perfect  
But we're worth it, you know that we're worth it  
Will you love me?  
Even with my dark side?_

He paced the hallway nervously while waiting, the pictures of his ancestors looking down on him. It shouldn't have taken this long, yet there was no news from inside the room, nothing but her agonized cries. As another shout of pain echoed across the hallway, he crouched down trembling. He couldn't bear to think what he would do if he lost her. Praying to whatever deity there was in the universe, he begged for her and the child's safety, that both mother and baby would be alright.__

Don't run away, don't run away  
Just tell me that you will stay  
Promise me you will stay  
Don't run away, don't run away  
Just promise me you will stay  
Promise me you will stay  


Suddenly a healer appeared in the doorway, excitement written across her flushed face. "Congratulations Mr. Malfoy, it's a boy!" He rushed into the found and found her lying on the bed, tired but happy. In her arms was a small living being sleeping peacefully.

He hesitantly approached the bed. She smiled as she handed the little boy to him. Holding it in his arms, he could see that the little child was an exact replica of him. The new mother looked lovingly at father and son. "He looks just like you."

The baby opened its eyes and looked around. Upon seeing his father's face, the corners of his mouth twitched up. The older man beamed at the cooing baby. "But he has your smile."

_Everybody's got a dark side  
Do you love me?  
Can you love mine?  
Nobody's a picture perfect  
But we're worth it, you know that we're worth it  
Will you love me?  
Even with my dark side?_

As the little family stood on platform nine and three-quarters, the boy noticed a group of people looking over at them through the mist. "Dad, who are those?"

His father turned towards the direction he pointed to and saw the famous Harry Potter and the Weasleys staring back at him. He saw Ron Weasley duck down his head to say something to a little girl, presumably his daughter, while Hermione Granger spoke in a half-reproachful, half-amused tone. "Just old acquaintances, Scorpius."

He knelt down and looked into his son's eyes which so resembled his own. "Now Scorpius, remember what I said before?"

"'Choose friends not for where they come from, but for who they are?'"

"That's right." He tousled his son's hair lovingly, then stood up. "Do you still want to stay with Mom and me for a while before getting on the train?"

"It's okay Dad. I'll be fine. See you during the holidays then." As his son heaved his trunk onto the train and disappeared inside, he sighed. Time flew by so fast. Soon his son would leave him for Hogwarts, just as he once did. He hoped that his son would be able to stay on the right path, and not follow in his footsteps. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see his wife smiling back at him. He smiled as well, and they turned to wave to their son as the train left the station.

_Don't run away, don't run away  
Don't run away, promise you'll stay  
_

As the Hogwarts express disappeared from view, she squeezed his left hand lovingly. "He'll be alright."

He squeezed her hand in return. "I know he will."

The Dark Mark had not bothered him for nineteen years. All was well.

**A/N: I haven't been writing songfics for a while (okay, it was a few months) so I don't know if I've still kept my touch. Drop me a note on how good/bad I did, okay? And tips are good too, especially since I'm trying a Wolfstar songfic next and I don't want it to be horribly mutated. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Carrot-Bunny does not own Harry Potter or 'Dark Side'. They belong to J. K. Rowling and Kelly Clarkson respectively.**


End file.
